Seven school construction bonds pass after all votes are counted

All of the Nov. 6 absentee ballots have been counted, and there are now seven school construction bond measures that passed in last month’s general election.

The San Diego County Registrar of Voters made all of the Nov. 6 votes official on Tuesday evening, and two more school districts were able to pass bonds to improve and build new school facilities.

With the absentee votes, Proposition AA and Proposition D each were able to get 55 percent of the votes needed to pass.

Proposition AA received 55.52 percent approval and will allow the San Dieguito Union High School District to sell $449 million in construction bonds for improvements to the district’s 10 schools and build a new middle school. Some of these improvements include new physical education facilities, modernization of science and technology labs, and replacing portable buildings with new multilevel classroom structures.

Proposition D, for the Dehesa School District, received 55.92 percent of the yes vote for a $3 million bond measure. This money will allow the district to upgrade classrooms with new computers, build a science lab and provide an outdoor pavilion for physical education activities.

The day after the General Election, there were approximately 475,000 ballots yet to be counted. On that day Proposition AA had received 54.07 percent of the yes vote. Proposition D had received 52.63 percent approval.

The other five bond measures that had enough votes the day after last month’s General Election included Propositions C, E, V, Y and Z.

Proposition Z was the county’s largest construction bond measure and passed with 61.8 percent of the vote.

The decision will authorize the San Diego Unified School District to sell $2.8 billion in bonds to pay for new technology equipment, improve current infrastructure and build new facilities.

Both South Bay construction bond measures passed.

Proposition E, which passed by 68.82 percent, will allow the Chula Vista Elementary School District to issue $90 million of bonds to pay for repairs, renovations, new buildings, and upgrades to classrooms and school facilities.

The measure also calls for the purchase of new technology for students, upgrades to heating systems and energy cost-saving improvements.

Proposition Y (75.93 percent) lets the South Bay Union School District to sell $26 million in general obligation bonds to pay for elementary classroom and school renovations; safety improvements; computers and technology access; and roof, plumbing and heating and air conditioning repairs at 13 campuses.

Proposition C, which passed by 58.23 percent, reauthorizes $88.4 million for the Cajon Valley Union School District from a 2008 bond measure.

The district plans to renovate, repair and construct elementary classrooms and associated school facilities like gymnasiums, and purchase new computers and upgrade related technology equipment with this new bond money.

The largest construction bond measure in the East County also was approved. Proposition V (58.22 percent) will give the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District $398 million to upgrade career training facilities for science, medical, public safety and other in-demand fields; create a Veterans Support Center on each campus; modernize technology in classrooms, libraries and science labs; and improve access for people with disabilities.

Overall, there will now be roughly $3.85 billion in new school construction bonds available.

Four of the 11 school construction bond measures in last month’s election did not pass.

Proposition G for the Mountain Empire Unified School District picked up 45.35 percent approval for a $30.8 million bond measure.

Proposition R for the Ramona School District collected 50.61 percent of the vote for a $66 million bond measure.

Proposition CC for the Del Mar Union School District got 54.28 percent support. This measure called for $76.8 million in bonds to modernize and repair schools, and purchase computers and other related technology.

Proposition EE just missed passing with 54.84 percent of the yes vote. It would have approved a $497 million bond to improve existing facilities and new classroom buildings at MiraCosta Community College District.

Really? need bond money for technology that will be outdated by the time it's unpackaged at the school. Short life span devices and annual expenses should not be part of bonds. The should come out of current operating budgets. The purchases made via bonds should survive and outlast the payoff period of the bond. The board and the administrators should be ashamed of themselves.